Slowly Slipping Into Darkness
by j-rizzolis
Summary: Callie struggles after Erica leaves.


**Title: **Slowly Slipping Into Darkness

**Author: **xxCallicaTruLovexx

**Pairing(s): **Callica {Callie and Erica}

**Summary: **Callie struggles after Erica leaves.

**Rating: **M for suicide attempt.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but this story and this idea. Characters and show belong to their respective owners.

**Author Notes: **Takes place after 5x07

_"I don't know you at all."_

Erica's words rang in Callie's ears as Callie watched Erica walked away. She tried to call after her, but either Erica couldn't hear her or didn't want to. When her feet finally started functioning again, Callie ran after her. Her eyes scanned the parking lot and caught a glimpse of Erica getting into her car.

"Erica," Callie called out in desperation, hoping to get Erica to stop. Erica looked up at the sound of her name and caught Callie's eye. Callie rushed over to her and stood in front of the driver's side door.

"Don't go. I take it all back," Callie said as tears spilled down her face.

"It's too late," Erica said sadly. She moved Callie out of the way before opening the door and slipping inside. Callie banged on the window as Erica started the car. Her voice cracked as she called Erica's name as she watched the love of her life drive away. She fell to the ground in a heap of tears in the middle of the parking lot.

It had been three days since Erica had left Callie in the hospital parking lot. It had been three days of Callie calling Erica, three days of wasted tears, and three days of isolation.

Callie looked down at her phone as it rang. She tossed it aside when she saw that it was Cristina and not the person that she had been trying to call for the past three days. Even though they were supposedly "not friends", Cristina had tried to get Callie to eat or more importantly, talk. She had been there for her even if Callie wouldn't admit that she wanted Cristina there.

Callie stood up from her place on the couch and made her way into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, void of any emotion as she looked at her forlorn features. She hung her head slightly as she opened the medicine cabinet and proceeded to pull out a bottle of extra-strength sleeping pills. She looked at the time and knew that Cristina wouldn't be home anytime soon. She turned on the faucet and filled up a cup before opening the pills and downing over half of them.

"I just have to grab something really fast," Cristina said as she walked into the apartment she shared with Callie.

"Just make it quick because we need to get back to the hospital," Meredith said from the doorway.

Cristina moved through the apartment as she looked for any sign of Callie. She noticed the door to the bathroom slightly ajar. She walked over and pushed the door open.

"Meredith, call an ambulance," Cristina yelled to Meredith as she dropped to her knees beside Callie. Meredith rushed into the bathroom as she barked off the directions to the 911 operator.

"What happened?" Meredith asked as she fell down beside Cristina.

"Overdose," Cristina said simply, nodding towards the almost empty pill bottle as she checked for a pulse. "Pulse is there, but it's incredibly slow."

Meredith rushed to open the door as the EMTs knocked. They followed her into the bathroom and tried pushing Cristina out of the way, but she wouldn't budge.

"Pulse is slow, but steady. Pupils are unreactive and dialated. Harsh breathing sounds accompany a slow heart beat," Cristina informed the EMTs as she helped them get Callie onto a stretcher. They moved quickly out of the building and placed Callie into the ambulance.

"I'm going with her," Cristina told Meredith. "Call Chief Webber and tell him what happened and page Hahn telling her to get her ass to the hospital."

Meredith nodded her head in understandment and watched as the ambulance pulled away.

"Who paged me?" Erica asked as she stormed through the ER.

"I did," Meredith answered as she heard Erica talking.

"What's so important that I had to leave Mercy West to come here?" Erica asked her, her tone as cold as ever.

"Follow me," Meredith said, ignoring the harshness of Hahn's words.

"Mind telling me where you are taking me?" Erica asked as she followed Meredith.

"Cristina told me to page you. She didn't tell me why and I didn't ask questions. You want to know why she wanted you here, ask her."

"Yang wanted here?"

"You bet your ass I did," Cristina said as she walked out of a patient room.

"What's the big emergency?" Hahn asked her former student.

"Because of you, Callie is in that room fighting for her life," Cristina said harshly, not caring that she was talking to her former mentor.

"What did she do?" Erica asked, her tone and expression changing dramatically.

"She swallowed half a bottle of sleeping pills. She tried to kill herself because you left her," Cristina accused.

"Oh my God. How... how is she?" Hahn asked cautiously.

"She's going to be fine, no thanks to you. She had to have her stomach pumped and she's intubated. The next move is all you," Cristina said before she and Meredith walked away.

Erica took a peek into the room and saw that Callie was still surrounded by numerous doctors. She sat in one of the chairs outside of the room as she waited for the room to empty.

She looked down at her phone and saw that she has one new voicemail from Callie from earlier that day. She dialed her inbox and waited for the message to play.

"Erica, it's me again. This is the last time I'll be calling you. It hurts me too much to go on living when you won't even answer my calls. I don't know how I'm supposed to go on living when all I want to do is hold you in my arms until the end of time. But I'm done. I'm done waiting for you to answer your phone. I'm done living a life that you are no longer in. So I'm saying goodbye. I'm saying goodbye to you and to this life without you. I love you, Erica, and maybe one day you can forgive me after I'm gone."

Erica felt a tear slid down her cheek as the message ended. She looked up as the doctors started filing out of Callie's room. Some gave her looks of sympathy, others gave her looks of confusion. Bailey was the last one out and just shook her head as she walked past Erica.

Erica stood on shaky legs and she slowly started towards Callie's room. More tears blurred her vision as she saw Callie lying on the bed hooked up to numerous machines. She sat in a chair next to the bed and took Callie's hand in her's. She looked at Callie's soft features, now void of the intubator.

"Callie, I'm so sorry for putting you through this all. I take full responsibility, and if you would just wake up, I could tell you that to your face," Erica said, tears streaming down her face.

Callie stirred slightly, her eyes opening slowly. Her eyes locked with Erica's and Callie read the hurt and pain written there.

"Erica?" Callie asked, her voice and throat scratchy.

"I'm here," Erica promised her. "I'm not going anywhere. Just don't talk and build up your strength."

"Erica, I have to tell you something," Callie said.

"You will have all of the time in the world to tell me whatever you need to. I just got your latest message and I would've been at your place in a matter of seconds to stop you, to tell you how much I need you in my life," Erica said in a shaky voice.

"I love you, Erica," Callie said, her fingers interlocking with Erica's.

"I love you, too," Erica said, smiling. She leaned forward and pressed her lips softly to Callie's. "Don't ever pull another stunt like this."

"Don't ever leave me again," Callie told her.

"I'd never hurt you again if I can help it. By hurting you, I just hurt myself. I want to love you for the rest of my life."

"Good, because now you're stuck with me now."

"I'm sure I can handle that."

Cristina stood in the doorway watching her unofficial best friend get the love of her life back. She walked away with an uncharacteristic smile on her face.

**FIN**


End file.
